Transforming the nation's consciousness on race through the law, social science, and the arts.

50 Years Ago Today: the Voting Rights Act of 1965

On this day, the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we commemorate the passage of one of the most effective civil rights laws ever enacted.

Unfortunately, we continue to see attacks on a law meant to protect one of our fundamental rights. In 2013, the Supreme Court eroded one of the most effective protections of the right to vote by rendering ineffective the requirement that certain jurisdictions with a history of voting discrimination get pre-approval for voting changes.

“Fifty years later, we’re still pushing for the universal right of all citizens of this country to vote,” said Rev. James Lawson. “Many of us in the struggle recognized that we were making changes and that we were doing what had not been done before, but we did not have the sense that this will be what’s going on 50 years later. We did not have that long sight and probably no one did,” said Lawson in testimony before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

We’re humbled to be able to honor Rev. Lawson and three other honorees at our annual gala on September 9 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.

We will also honor Dr. Jennifer L. Eberhardt, Joaquin G. Avila, and Alicia Garza of #BlackLivesMatter.

Please join us on September 9 in honoring these luminaries. Your sponsorship or tickets help EJS continue transforming the nation’s consciousness on race through law, social science, and the arts.

About EJS

The Equal Justice Society is transforming the nation’s consciousness on race through law, social science, and the arts. Led by President Eva Paterson, our legal strategy aims to broaden conceptions of present-day discrimination to include unconscious and structural bias by using social science, structural analysis, and real-life experience.